Rescue forced to euthanize stranded Galveston dolphin, needs $400 per day to care for another

PHOTOS: Houston-area dolphin rescuesThis older male dolphin was rescued this week on the beach near the Galveston Seawall, but had to be euthanized Sept. 3 due to chronic illness.>>>Meet Rimmy, another dolphin living at the Galveston facility for almost 1 year...

PHOTOS: Houston-area dolphin rescues
This older male dolphin was rescued this week on the beach near the Galveston Seawall, but had to be euthanized Sept. 3 due to chronic illness.>>>Meet Rimmy, another

PHOTOS: Houston-area dolphin rescuesThis older male dolphin was rescued this week on the beach near the Galveston Seawall, but had to be euthanized Sept. 3 due to chronic illness.>>>Meet Rimmy, another dolphin living at the Galveston facility for almost 1 year...

PHOTOS: Houston-area dolphin rescues
This older male dolphin was rescued this week on the beach near the Galveston Seawall, but had to be euthanized Sept. 3 due to chronic illness.>>>Meet Rimmy, another

Rescue forced to euthanize stranded Galveston dolphin, needs $400 per day to care for another

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A stranded dolphin had to be euthanized shortly after its rescue this week by a Galveston nonprofit, but the group still needs help coming up with $400 per day to care for another severely ill dolphin.

An older male dolphin suffering from shark bites and chronic illness was euthanized Sept. 3 after it was found along Galveston's Seawall, the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network posted on Facebook.

"It was a tough day for our team but we did everything possible to keep him comfortable once he stranded. At this time, we continue to support our other dolphin patient 'Rimmy' in rehabilitation."

A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise money for Rimmy's ongoing treatment, said Heidi Whitehead, executive director of the organization.

Rimmy has been at the facility for an extraordinarily long time, after she was rescued from the McFaddin Wildlife Refuge beach near Sea Rim State Park in September 2017. The park is located in Jefferson County, near Port Arthur and the Texas and Louisiana border.

The dolphin has a fungal lung infection that requires long-term care and prevents Rimmy from being released back into the wild.

Even with donations of food and medication from the Moody Gardens Aquarium and Sea World, it costs up to $400 per day to rehabilitate one dolphin.

The extensive care needed has also made it hard to find a permanent home for the dolphin.

Rimmy's permanent placement will be determined by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, Whitehead said.

In the meantime, the GoFundMe page has raised almost $1,500 for Rimmy's care, and Whitehead's organization will continue to take in other stranded marine mammals as needed.

The Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network relies heavily on the public to alert rescuers to stranded dolpins, whales and other marine mammals along the entire Gulf Coast.

It's important to leave the animal where it is found when calling for help, Whitehead said. People often will push a dolphin back out to deeper water, which merely delays its rescue.

"They strand for a reason; they're usually sick," Whitehead said.

The rescue group responds to 150 to 200 stranded animals per year along the Gulf Coast. In the Galveston area, there are about 75 strandings per year, and most of the animals are already dead, Whitehead said.

The network will still respond to collect dead stranded animals and research what caused the animal to die, she said.

In Texas, call 1-800-9MAMMAL(962-6625) to report a stranded marine mammal. See photos of Rimmy, and the Galveston dolphin brought in this week in the photos above.